How The Robot Hamburger Flipper Will Transform Food Service In Stadiums

Flippy, the robot hamburger flipper created by Miso Robotics, has a new job. Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles hired the robot to help cook food for hungry fans. It is in charge of handling the chicken and tater tots and has a contract that lasts until the end of the current season. Although Flippy is not replacing any employees at this time and is working with current food service staff at the stadium, it has the potential to transform the industry.

Flippy does not look like the typical worker, nor does it resemble any of the humanoid robots on the market. Instead, Flippy is a robotic arm, which is attached to a cart on wheels, capable of flipping burgers. The robot has multiple sensors and cameras that allow it to capture data. For example, Flippy can tell the difference between a cooked or uncooked burger, and it can move and flip burgers, chicken and other food items on a grill. It comes with detachable tools, such as tongs and grippers, which can be switched out to do different tasks.

Working at Dodger Stadium is not Flippy’s first job. Previously, the robot hamburger flipper was a grill cook at CaliBurger in Pasadena. However, as seen at both locations, Flippy cannot handle all the tasks in a kitchen on its own, so it must works alongside staff to complete an order. For instance, Flippy cannot add cheese on top of a burger, nor can it add onions or pickles. David Zito, the CEO and co-founder of Miso Robotics, believes that future kitchens will always have both “people and robots,” and the two will work together. So far, the food service staff at Dodger Stadium is not in danger of losing any jobs.

When Flippy had his debut at CaliBurger, it was touted as a way to fix high turnover rates at fast food restaurants. Limited-service restaurants have a turnover rate of 153%, and 40% percent of this turnover happens within 90 days of hiring. The cost for limited-service restaurants can be high as recruiting, training and other hiring tasks take time and money. However, having a robotic line cook who is capable of handling the hot grill, which is often one of the most difficult parts of the kitchen, may reduce turnover rates and give human workers the chance to do other tasks in the restaurant.

Turnover rates can also be high for food service staff in stadiums. The seasonal work they offer does not always appeal to people who want long-term commitments. In addition, recruiting and training new workers every season is expensive and time-consuming. Stadiums often have staffing problems with short-term hires, so having robots might eliminate this, while also decreasing the number of available jobs for humans.

Losing jobs to robots is one of the most common concerns with automation in food service and other industries. Some of the estimates show a loss of 400 to 800 million jobs by 2030. However, in stadiums, the job loss may not be felt as strongly because of high turnover rates and seasonal work.

What will the future look like for food service in stadiums? It may resemble the hybrid model currently visible at Dodger Stadium: Robots will work alongside human staff to complete your order of a burger and fries.